Virginia

11/03/2009 -- WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding three new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.

To date, there have been 1,610 sites listed on the NPL. Of these sites, 340 sites have been deleted resulting in 1,270 sites currently on the NPL (including the three new sites added in today’s rulemaking). There are 63 proposed sites awaiting final agency action: 58 in the general Superfund section and five in the federal facilities section. There are a total of 1,333 final and proposed sites.    » read more »

October 28, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner announced today that the U.S. Department of Treasury will award $29 million in bonds to American Municipal Power, Inc., for financing of a solar energy project in the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County. When completed, this solar project could provide up to six-megawatts of daily power for the regional transmission grid.    » read more »

More than 8,000 ARRA Projects Planned, Nearly 5,000 Under Construction

October 14, 2009 -- FAIRFAX, Va. – President Barack Obama joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today at the site of the Fairfax County Parkway Extension in Virginia to announce more than 8,000 highway projects have been funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) since its passage in February.    » read more »

ARRA bonds to fund energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy installations at public schools

October 14, 2009 -- FREDERICKSBURG -- Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the availability of $119 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) bond authorizations for local school divisions to finance energy efficiency improvements and renovations, as well as renewable energy projects for public school buildings.    » read more »

Compromise Would Provide Up to 14 Additional Weeks of Benefits to Workers in All 50 States

October 14, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today called on the Senate to pass a comprehensive proposal, which he cosponsored, to extend unemployment insurance by up to 14 additional weeks for jobless workers in all 50 states. Nearly two million out-of-work Americans face expiring benefits by the end of the year.    » read more »

Consumers can purchase energy-efficient products tax free October 9-12; claim state rebates and federal credits on qualifying products

October 09, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today encouraged Virginians to take advantage of the state's third annual sales tax holiday on ENERGY STAR and WaterSense-qualified products. During this annual holiday, which will take place October 9-12, consumers can save money by buying certain qualified products tax-exempt, which will also deliver savings for years to come through lower home utility bills.

As with last year's holiday, high-efficiency products with ENERGY STAR or WaterSense certification will be exempt from sales tax.    » read more »

Enhanced stormwater regulations will reduce runoff pollution in waters of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia's waterways

October 05, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine highlighted the adoption of enhanced stormwater regulations by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board today. The new regulations are expected to reduce the impact of polluted runoff from new developments into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways in the Commonwealth.    » read more »

Consumers can purchase energy-efficient products tax free October 9-12; claim state rebates and federal credits on qualifying products

October 01, 2009 -- STAUNTON – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the launch of the Virginia EnergyEfficiency Rebate program, a new program to encourage the purchase ofhigh-efficiency equipment and products. The program will use $15 million infunds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment act to provide rebates toresidential and commercial consumers on certain qualifying equipment and products.    » read more »

$1.8 billion in ARRA funds would raise passenger rail speed to 90 MPH along busy I-95 corridor

October 02, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Virginia has submitted its second application for funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) to develop the I-95 Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor. The application for approximately $1.8 billion would fund 19 projects along the Petersburg to Washington, D.C. section of the Corridor and raise passenger rail speed to up to 90 MPH by 2017.    » read more »

Number of poor air quality days declines from 76 to three statewide

October 02, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced significant improvements in Virginia's air quality during the past decade. Between 1999 and 2009, the Commonwealth saw a 96 percent decrease in the number of days that exceeded the national air quality standard for ground-level ozone at monitoring stations statewide, with summer 2009 standing out as the best year on record.    » read more »

$40 million in loans available for state agencies to improve efficiency, save money

September 25, 2009 -- RICHMOND -- Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the recapitalization of the Commonwealth's Energy Leasing Program, a loan program to finance energy efficiency projects in state agencies. The Commonwealth has secured $40 million in financing for the projects, including $10 million in capital from Grant Capital Management, a state-certified SWAM vendor.    » read more »

Delinquent taxpayers can "Get Square" with no penalties and half the interest charges between October 7, 2009 and December 5, 2009

September 28, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today helped launch Get Square VA, a program administered by the Virginia Department of Taxation offering amnesty to delinquent taxpayers who pay their back taxes between October 7, 2009 and December 5, 2009.

Most delinquent taxpayers, business or individual, may pay back taxes to the state of Virginia during this limited window with no penalties and half the normal interest charges. The Commonwealth aims to collect $48 million during the amnesty period, and funds collected will go into the general fund to support education, health, and public safety programs.    » read more »

Commonwealth will request federal loan for October-December 2009; mandatory fund builder tax to take effect January 2010

September 16, 2009 -- RICHMOND -- Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today filed a request with the U.S. Department of Labor for a repayable advance of $252 million from the Federal Unemployment Account to meet the obligations of the Virginia Unemployment Compensation Program through December 2009.    » read more »

$8,605,100 in funds to Virginia's AutoGas Corridor Development Program

August 26, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has appropriated significant funding for the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy's Paving the Way with Propane: The AutoGas Corridor Development Program. The AutoGas Corridor Development Program is a unique, progressive project aimed at building the infrastructure for public and private vehicle operators to convert existing vehicles from conventional gasoline to clean propane AutoGas.    » read more »

Governor Kaine Unveils Unique Program to Review Emissions From Grandfathered Facilities; Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to evaluate older facilities for compliance with federal air quality standards

June 23, 2009 -- RICHMOND- Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced a groundbreaking initiative to survey air pollution from facilities throughout the Commonwealth that were initially grandfathered by the 1970 federal Clean Air Act. In the first program of its kind in the nation, Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will determine whether older facilities previously not subject to direct reviews currently comply with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).    » read more »